All Saints
Stored in Cargo: All Saints
| Liturgical Feast | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 01 |
| Rank | Solemnity |
| Type | Fixed |
| Season | Ordinary Time |
| Primary Shrine | |
| Countries | Universal |
| Dioceses | |
The All Saints solemnity, also known as the Solemnity of All Saints or All Hallows, is the principal feast in the Roman Rite that honors all the saints in heaven, both known and unknown. Celebrated annually on November 1 according to the General Roman Calendar, it follows All Souls' Day on November 2 and forms part of the concluding phase of the liturgical year in Ordinary Time. As a Holy Day of Obligation in many dioceses, the faithful are required to attend Mass.
According to the *General Roman Calendar* (2002 edition), All Saints ranks as a solemnity, taking precedence over Sundays in Ordinary Time when November 1 falls on a Sunday. The celebration includes proper liturgical texts in the Missale Romanum, with the Gloria and Creed recited at Mass. The feast underscores the communion of saints and invites the Church on earth to venerate the entire heavenly court.
The origins of All Saints trace to early Christian commemorations of martyrs, evolving into a universal feast by the 9th century. It reflects the Church's belief in the sanctity achieved by countless faithful, as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Liturgical observance
The Mass for the Solemnity of All Saints uses white or gold vestments. The Gloria is sung or recited, and the Creed is professed. The Lectionary provides proper readings: Apocalypse 7:2–4, 9–14 (first reading), 1 John 3:1–3 (second reading), and Matthew 5:1–12a (Gospel, the Beatitudes). Missale Romanum (editio typica tertia ed.). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 2002. Lectionary for Mass. III. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2002.
A Vigil Mass is permitted on the evening of October 31, with its own proper texts distinct from the Day Mass. The Preface of All Saints emphasizes the multitude of saints interceding for the Church. No special rites such as processions or blessings are mandated universally in the Roman Rite, though local customs may include cemetery visits in anticipation of All Souls.
History
Evidence suggests that early Christian communities in the East commemorated all martyrs on a single day as early as the 4th century, with a Sunday after Pentecost commonly observed in Antioch according to St. John Chrysostom (d. 407). The Catholic Encyclopedia. 1. Robert Appleton Company. 1913. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01315a.htm. In Rome, Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon to the Blessed Virgin and All Martyrs on May 13, 609 or 610, establishing an annual commemoration.
Pope Gregory III (731–741) consecrated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica to All Saints on November 1, shifting the date in the Roman calendar. By the 9th century under Pope Gregory IV (827–844), November 1 was extended universally, as documented in historical records. The 1969 revision of the *General Roman Calendar* retained November 1 as a solemnity without alteration to its date or rank."General Roman Calendar". Vatican. https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html. This reflects universal Roman Rite observance; Eastern Catholic calendars may differ, often aligning with the Sunday after Pentecost.
Theological significance
The Solemnity of All Saints celebrates the Church Triumphant and affirms the communion of saints, whereby the faithful on earth, in purgatory, and in heaven are united in Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the saints "contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth" (CCC 2683). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd ed.). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 1997.
Scripture underscores this in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12), proclaimed as the Gospel, portraying the blessed as those who inherit the kingdom. Revelation 7:9 describes "a great multitude... from every nation," symbolizing the universal call to holiness. Pope St. John Paul II emphasized in *Tertio Millennio Adveniente* (1994) that All Saints invites all to sanctity, not limited to canonized figures."Tertio Millennio Adveniente". Vatican. 1994-11-10. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19941110_tertio-millennio-adveniente.html.
Veneration and traditions
Liturgical tradition holds that All Saints is venerated universally through Mass attendance and the Liturgy of the Hours, with proper antiphons invoking the saints. According to popular devotion, customs include visiting cemeteries, though this is more associated with All Souls; evidence suggests such practices blend the two days in some cultures.
In certain regions, processions with images of saints occur, but these are local and not prescribed in the *Missale Romanum*. Foods or music specific to the feast cannot be confirmed as universal; for instance, "soul cakes" in English tradition originate from medieval almsgiving for the dead, not strictly All Saints. Hymns such as "For All the Saints" by William Walsham How (1864) are used in English-speaking parishes but are devotional, not liturgical.
Significant locations
Dynamic content
Parishes
Media
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
List of shrines
This cannot be confirmed as no shrines are exclusively dedicated to All Saints per Canon 1230 in official Vatican or diocesan records; most churches honor specific saints or the Blessed Virgin.
References
External links
- General Instruction of the Roman Missal – Vatican
- All Saints Day – USCCB
- General Roman Calendar – Vatican